Manduka Creates The World's Largest Event Of 1 Million Participants To Benefit Susan G. Komen®

Renowned Yoga Brand Kicks Off project:OM – a One Million Person Rally Call to Support Breast Cancer Research and Community Programs

Los Angeles and Dallas  March 15, 2017 

Manduka, the world’s most respected brand in yoga, and Susan G. Komen, the largest funder of breast cancer research outside of the U.S. government, have partnered to launch “project:OM,” a mindful movement to drive positive change on an epic level.

Project:OM’s debut event, taking place Mother's Day weekend – Friday, May 12 through Sunday, May 14 – gathers one million people to participate in the world’s largest yoga class. The massive event aims to unite individuals, families and the collective yoga community to raise funds to support Susan G. Komen’s Bold Goal to reduce the current number of breast cancer deaths by 50 percent in the U.S. by 2026.

“Regular exercise like yoga can help breast cancer survivors reduce stress and anxiety and give a sense of control over their bodies. In addition, women who get regular exercise have a lower risk of breast cancer than those who are inactive. In fact, studies show exercise appears to help to lower breast cancer risk by about 10 to 20 percent,” said Senior Director of Health Education, Susan Brown.

Beginning Wednesday, March 15, yoga practitioners of all levels can visit projectOM.com to register to attend a project:OM event, including large-scale events in major cities, thousands of local studio classes and a livestreamed online yoga class led by renowned instructor Adrienne Mishler. Through Susan G. Komen’s national network of nearly 100 local Affiliates and Manduka’s 900+ ambassadors, project:OM is slated to be one of the yoga industry’s most important and impactful events, with 100 percent of all donations going directly to Susan G. Komen.

“The yoga community is one of the most passionate and driven groups of people on the planet,” said Chairman and CEO of Manduka Michael Soenen. “Engaging this community on a massive level is a great opportunity to expose more people to the benefits of yoga while inspiring millions of people across the country to participate and support this critical cause.”

Project:OM is also supported by Komen partners, Simon,® WWE, and Bank of America. Simon is hosting yoga events at many of their shopping centers across the U.S. With every $10 class donation, Simon customers will also receive a discount card with offers from 15-25 percent off at participating retailers. Longtime Komen partner WWE will host its own onsite project:OM yoga class, taking place in Orlando, FL on Saturday, April 1, the day before their biggest event of the year, Wrestlemania,® along with social and digital programs.

Project:OM will also introduce an exclusive capsule collection including: a beginner-focused and reversible yoga mat; yoga towels; mat carrier strap; and women's headbands. Susan G. Komen will receive 10 percent of the retail sales price for each item purchased between March 1 - Dec. 31, 2017 on Manduka.com and at select yoga studios and retailers.

“We’re thrilled to be working alongside Manduka to encourage everyone to live an active and healthy lifestyle and provide them with the tools they need to get started today,” said Senior Vice President of Development Christina Alford. “Participants are taking an active role in changing their lives and the lives of millions of others, as their funds will be used to support groundbreaking research and community outreach programs across the U.S.”

Together with the generous $10 minimum suggested donation from its project:OM yoga participants and sales of yoga gear, Manduka guarantees a minimum donation of $250,000 to Komen to aid in funding breast cancer research and community-based programs supporting people facing breast cancer. Local project:OM yoga events can be found at projectOM.com. Susan G. Komen and Manduka also encourage all supporters to follow a frequent stream of project:OM updates on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and share their experiences on social media using the hashtag #projectOM.